Ericsson and VimpelCom, a leading Russian telecommunications operator, announced today they have signed an agreement for the supply and implementation of a WCDMA/HSPA network as well as associated services. The new network will cover seven out of nine macro regions in Russia, including Moscow, Volga, the Urals, Siberia, the North Caucasus, Northwest Russia and South Russia.

Under the five-year agreement, the Swedish company will deliver a WCDMA/HSPA radio access and core network, including packet-switching, circuit-switching and subscriber management system Home Location Register (HLR). Also, Ericsson will be responsible for a wide range of services, including integration and deployment, systems integration, technical support and training, operation and maintenance assistance.

The deal with Ericsson will enable VimpelCom to provide advanced multimedia and high-speed mobile broadband services, like Mobile TV and video calls. VimpelCom currently has more than 25 million subscribers and is the second largest mobile carrier in Russia, after Mobile TeleSystems, that also signed a network deployment agreement with Ericsson, in December 2007.

The High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) solution from Ericsson provides fast data transmission speeds on both the downlink and uplink. Moreover, it boosts network capacity and lowers response times for interactive services.

"This agreement is a continuation of our long-term partnership with Ericsson and sets the stage for VimpelCom to introduce cutting-edge services to our customers," said Peter Covell, COO at VimpelCom. "We believe that the move will also provide us with a competitive advantage in the telecommunications market."

"Ericsson is honored to have been selected by VimpelCom for the supply of a state-of-the-art WCDMA/HSPA network," declared Zoran Lukovic, Vice-President, Ericsson Eastern Europe and Central Asia. "This deal further strengthens our partnership with VimpelCom and will allow them to offer their customers innovative commercial 3G services."

Worldwide, Ericsson is powering 86 of the 174 commercial HSPA networks, and the number will continue to grow, as the company has additional ongoing deployments.